The Observations Of A Doctor, Pirate, Rival, Ally, (Friend)
by Monkey D. Anea
Summary: Or, the observations of Trafalgar Law on the Straw Hats'. Law knows that the Straw Hat pirate captain uses the archaeologists breast as pillows and that the raccoon-doctor double checks his medical books a thousand times over before making medications and ointments. He doesn't really understand how he knows these things, but he does. Nakamaship.
Law is observant, he's always been because he had to be. One mistake and a patient could die, one mistake and he could die, one mistake and his crew could die, one mistake and Doflamingo could have won. Law is a doctor, he has always wanted to be one. And being a doctor—a surgeon—means that mistakes are easy to make and the outcomes are a disaster. He seen life and death. He's caused life and death, maybe not always on purpose, but that's a doctors responsibility.

That's a doctors price.

He knows the value of life, and he knows the value of death. ("Doc-tor!" the man with piercing eyes begged, voice struggling with the blood pouring from his mouth. Law looked down at the hand on his coattail, he knew that the man was going to die. "Doc- _ttoorr!_ " and the man knew it too. "Please..." the nodachi in his hand felt heavier than usual.)

Chopper knows life and death, the surgeon observes. Knows it well, knows it personally. Law observes things, examines them 'till he knows the answer of his own questions and 'till he knows the person he's asking. He knows the answers before they leave their mouth. Needs to know these things down to the little, small and irrelevant details

A doctors observation: The littlest things could be the most important.

Law's a doctor, but he's also a pirate. And more than that, instead of being rash and reckless, and picking a spot on a map with a small plan that isn't even 20% chance of success, he plans everything down to the littlest detail. Plans aren't always successful despite continuous planning. So when he plans, he factors everything in; plans the weather, the water, the name(s), how he walks, how he talks, who moves first, what people will say, what- he tries to read their minds, in a sense.

As a pirate, he tries to know his opponents and allies every weakness, from their stance to if they broke their pinky when they were little. A part of knowing others weaknesses is that he knows his own. Knows the problem with being guarding means that many will not trust him, will not tell him about themselves. So he observes, examines, calculates, studies, plans.

Sees if someone favors their left-hand to their right-hand, that they must write better with it which means that their letters will have distinct differences. From the way someone dots their I's to the way someone ties which shoe first. It's handy, but it also means that he's always thinking.

The Straw-hats' mess up his thinking- which messes up his planning. Law has tried to see their weaknesses, but it -the other captain- makes it difficult, makes it impossible with his laugh and reckless ways. It makes it hard to betray them.

But he still observes as much as he can, but the things he has noticed so far... are irrelevant. The things he observes, notices, examines, can't really assist him on reading their minds or knowing what they'll say before they say it. They're unpredictable and predictable in many ways.

They're confusing.

Law hopes that they stay that way to him, he doesn't need to get caught in their Strawhatness . (Using that word, he wonders if it's not too late for him already.)

The things he has learned, Law could sigh. (This wasn't suppose to happen). He shouldn't know that the navigator has a tenderness for oranges or that the scar on her upper arm causes her nightmares (the person who put it there, anyway). Or that the doctor checks over his medical books a million times over, staring at each symbol to the point it's burned into his mind. Or that the shipwright has a belief that everyone has the right to live, that the shipwright whispers to the ship and mentions names like 'Icebaka' and Tom. Shouldn't know that the cook puts special care into every bit and piece of the food he makes, that he makes sure everyone's full before he himself eats. That the archaeologist doesn't like any form of fire, be it on the island they've destroyed or the light of a candle (she hides it well; he wouldn't expect any less). He shouldn't know that the swordsman takes extra careful attention to his sword, never wiping to fast when polishing it, that the swordsman hates stairs (he always sits beside them). Shouldn't know that the skeleton laughs sadly to himself sometimes, on watch (that he never has a watch on foggy nights) that the skeleton always bounces head first into danger if the idiotic captain, chef, or swordsman doesn't or can't at the time. And he sure as hell shouldn't know that Straw Hat has scars running deeper than Ace's death; he shouldn't know that Straw Hat resents being touched if you're a stranger and he doesn't want you to touch him (that he freezes up); shouldn't know that Straw Hat has scars that belong because of brass knuckles and that he hates bandits, but maybe not all. That Straw Hat smiles whenever he smells Sanji's cigarette smoke, that Straw Hat can actually read and write despite popular belief, and that he uses the archaeologists breast for pillows when he wants to take a nap.

He shouldn't know these irrelevant things about them.

But he does, and maybe they know certain things about him also.

The way the archaeologist doesn't have any books on The White City: Flevance, tucked somewhere in the bookcases (he doesn't know how she knows). How the navigator leaves out a extra plain blanket for him (that whenever he has a nightmare, a orange mysteriously appears). How the shipwright converses with him about his submarine when Law needs a rescue from his bouncy ally (and when he feels homesick). How the chef never gives him bread (even if the chef does swear about 'shitty surgeons with their picky appetites'). That the doctor pays careful attention whenever he administers first aid (despite Law's protest about also being a doctor and that _it's just a scratch_ ). How the skeleton sometimes plays lullabies or songs from North Blue without being asked (usually when Law can't sleep, waking up with sweat on the back of his neck and no one else around). Or how Straw Hat babbles on to him about stories from when he was little (about a burly woman who loved to smoke), and about how nightmares bother him too. How the teen never leaves him alone to his own thoughts (the bad ones, the usual ones). With the Straw Hats', who observe with chaos and laughter, doing both while observing, maybe Law was observing (noticing) the wrong things after all.

"Torao! Come play with us!" Law scowls in the direction of his straw hat wearing ally who stands expectantly beside the cowering sharp shooter and mini-doctor holding onto his leg while glancing at Law himself with hesitant eyes.

"Only until lunch, Straw Hat-ya."

Heaving himself up with a sigh, Kikoku chuckling beside his neck, and looking at a cheering Luffy and the raccoon dog doctor while the sharp shooter regales a tale of bravery and seemingly _"Knew you would play, Torao! What with being the great Usopp"-_ Law wonders if this alliance wasn't such an awful choice ("We're playing hide-in-seek, then face painting!")... or maybe it's a nightmare.


End file.
